Investing, Asset Allocation, Economics & the Search for the Bottom Line

Macro-Markets Risk Index: 13.7% | 12.27.2013

The US economic trend has remained relatively stable and positive in recent weeks, based on a markets-based profile of macro conditions. The Macro-Markets Risk Index (MMRI) closed at 13.7% on Thursday, Dec. 26, a level that suggests that business cycle risk remains low. The current 13.7% value is well above the lowest reading for the year to date—7.5% in mid-September—and well above the 0% danger zone. If MMRI falls under 0%, that would be a sign that recession risk is elevated. By comparison, readings above 0% imply a bias for economic growth.

MMRI represents a subset of the Economic Trend & Momentum indices, a pair benchmarks that track the economy’s broad trend for signs of major turning points in the business cycle via a diversified set of indicators. Analyzing the market-price components separately offers a real-time approximation of macro conditions, according to the “wisdom of the crowd.” By contrast, conventional economic reports are published with a time lag. MMRI is intended for use as a supplement for developing perspective on the current month’s economic profile until a complete data set is published.

MMRI measures the daily median change of four indicators based on the following calculations: